You’re hopefully already using a rewards credit card to earn points or miles when paying for Lyft rides. But you can earn even more points or miles on your rides by utilizing one of the many partnerships Lyft has with other loyalty programs. Here’s what you need to know.
Lyft partners
Lyft has partnerships with the following programs:
The DoorDash partnership gives DashPass members 5% off on-demand rides and 10% off scheduled airport rides on up to four rides per month. Plus, DashPass members can enjoy two Priority Pickup upgrades per month. However, as Lyft’s DoorDash partnership doesn’t let you earn any additional rewards on rides, we won’t discuss it further in this article.
We’ll dedicate a section of this article to each loyalty program (Alaska Airlines, Bilt, Delta Air Lines and Hilton) through which you can earn extra points or miles on select rides; we’ll also discuss the Chase and Mastercard partnerships near the end of this article.
Related: 5 things to know before the next time you use a ride-hailing service at the airport
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Lyft became partners in November 2022. Once you link your Lyft and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan accounts and select “Alaska Mileage Plan” as your travel partner in the Lyft app, you’ll earn 1 mile per dollar spent on Lyft rides in the U.S. (excluding taxes, tolls and tips).
Linking your Lyft and Alaska accounts takes just a few taps. Go to the partnership website, select “Link your accounts” and follow the prompts. Once you’ve linked your accounts, ensure Alaska is selected as your travel partner by opening the Lyft app, tapping “Rewards” in the menu, scrolling to the “Travel Rewards” section, tapping “Select a partner” and selecting “Alaska Mileage Plan.”
Related: Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan sweet spot redemptions you can book
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Bilt Rewards
Bilt Rewards launched its partnership with Lyft in March 2023. Although Bilt is perhaps best known for letting you earn rewards while paying rent with a credit card, you can also earn Bilt Rewards Points on Lyft rides. Specifically, here’s what you can earn:
- 2 Bilt points per dollar spent on Lyft rides in the U.S. (excluding bikes, scooters, cancellation charges, damage charges, membership subscription products and Lyft Pass credits not issued by Bilt Rewards or Lyft Concierge rides) when you link your Bilt Rewards account with your Lyft account and select Bilt as your travel partner within the Lyft app
- 3 additional Bilt points per dollar spent on rides, bikes and scooters booked and completed through the Lyft app in the U.S. when you pay with a Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees)
To link your Bilt and Lyft accounts, open the Bilt app, go to the “Rideshare” tab, select “Link Lyft Account” and follow the prompts. Then, open the Lyft app and ensure “Bilt Rewards” is selected as your travel partner.
Related: Fly to Ireland for only 13K Bilt Rewards points, and 4 more ways to redeem points for maximum value
Delta SkyMiles
Delta and Lyft began their partnership in 2017. This partnership will end April 8, but through April 7, you can earn as follows once you’ve linked your Delta and Lyft accounts and selected “Delta SkyMiles” as your travel partner in the Lyft app:
- 1 mile per dollar spent on all rides in the U.S. (excluding tips, gratuities, tolls, taxes and other incidental fees)
- 2 miles per dollar spent on all airport rides in the U.S. (excluding tips, gratuities, tolls, taxes and other incidental fees)
You can link your Delta and Lyft accounts by going to their partnership website. Once there, enter the required information and follow the prompts. You’ll usually need to confirm your details on the Lyft app or website. And, of course, be sure “Delta SkyMiles” is selected as your travel partner.
However, you should select a new travel partner April 8 so that you can continue earning extra rewards on Lyft rides even after the Delta and Lyft partnership ends.
Related: 5 things you need to know about Delta SkyMiles
Hilton Honors
Hilton and Lyft started their partnership in May 2019. If you link your Hilton Honors and Lyft accounts and select “Hilton Honors” as your travel partner, you’ll earn as follows on Lyft rides in the U.S. and Canada:
- 3 points per U.S. dollar spent on Lyft, Lyft XL, Lyft Black XL, Lux and Lux Black rides (excluding taxes, fees, tolls and tips)
- 2 points per U.S. dollar spent on Lyft shared rides (excluding taxes, fees, tolls and tips)
However, you can only earn Hilton points on up to $10,000 of eligible Lyft spending each calendar year.
To link your Lyft and Hilton Honors accounts, go to their partnership website, click “Link your accounts” and follow the prompts. After linking your accounts, log in to your Lyft account and ensure “Hilton Honors” is selected as your travel partner.
Related: 8 ways to redeem points with the Hilton Honors program
Which Lyft travel partner is best?
Deciding whether to select Alaska Airlines, Bilt, Delta Air Lines or Hilton as your Lyft travel partner depends on your ride patterns and how you value the rewards each program offers.
Bilt’s 2 points per dollar is arguably the best. Unlike the other Lyft travel partners, Bilt points are transferable, and you earn them on the total price of your ride (including taxes, tips and tolls).
However, if you frequently use Lyft in Canada, it might be better to select Hilton Honors as your Lyft travel partner since it’s the only partner that lets you earn bonus rewards on rides in Canada.
Related: Why transferable points and miles are worth more than other rewards
Best cards for Lyft
In addition to the rewards you can earn through the Lyft travel partners discussed above, you can also earn rewards through the credit card you use to pay for your Lyft purchase.
If Bilt is your linked rewards program, you may want to use the Bilt Mastercard® to earn an extra 3 Bilt points per dollar. However, you should also consider other cards that offer additional rewards for ride-hailing services.
For example, select Chase cards earn bonus rewards on Lyft purchases through March 31. Additionally, you’ll get 10% off scheduled Lyft rides to U.S. airports through Sept. 30 when you pay with a World Elite Mastercard, World Elite Mastercard for Business or World Mastercard for Business. Plus, when you take three eligible U.S. Lyft rides in a month through Sept. 30, you’ll earn $5 in Lyft credit with your World or World Elite Mastercard or $10 in Lyft credit with your Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®.
Related: Frequent Uber or Lyft user? These are the best credit cards for you
Bottom line
Even if you use Lyft infrequently, it’s worth linking your Lyft account with one or more of the loyalty program travel partners. By doing so, you can earn bonus rewards on top of credit card rewards each time you make an eligible Lyft purchase.
For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
